


The Forfeited Path

by Cojiko



Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Alcohol, Confessions, Divorce (potential), Drunken Confessions, Explicit Language, Friendship, Gen, He'd still be his friend, I am definitely taking some liberties with these guys, I'd put this as a minor AU, Krillin has some abandonment issues, M/M, Male Friendship, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided in that Goku doesn't know how Krillin feels about him, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, Relationship Issues, Swearing, Unrequited Love, cursing, in my opinion, just a little, no matter what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-22 08:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19663984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cojiko/pseuds/Cojiko
Summary: Let's just say that Krillin has had some complicated feelings about his childhood friend and the wife of said friend. While he had decided over a decade ago to let them spend their lives together, he is suddenly confronted with news that it was all for nothing. What's going to happen and what will Krillin do in response.Well, he better make that choice quick, because he just puked his guts into Goku's toilet and the Sayain is about 10 seconds away from breaking down the door to help his friend.(This is garbo, don't bother reading it)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I'm publishing on this platform. I've had this idea in my head for a while now, but I've never gotten the chance to really get it out there until now.  
> I'm trying to be accurate with some of the stuff I describe in this story. I didn't watch much of the original Dragon Ball when I was more obsessed with Z as a kid, so I'm going off some of the wiki and some of what I remember for a few things, alongside video clips.  
> I hope you do enjoy what I have to offer here. Any tips on how I could improve this story or my writing will be greatly appreciated.

Krillin considered himself, despite the events he's both witnessed and experienced in his life, a pretty average human being. Sure, his training as a martial artist has involved learning how to fly and to shoot energy blasts from his hands, but take those and his multiple deaths away and Krillin is just an ordinary person who happens to enjoy martial arts.

He just thought that given the past few years he's lived through, he wouldn't be so surprised or caught off guard by Earth anymore. That doesn't mean he doesn't find value in Earth, it's his home after all! But put him in front of blood-thirsty aliens and galactic empires, normal human situations probably wouldn't get much of a rise from him anymore...

So why is he reacting like this now?

Why does every part of him feel cold and shaky?

Why the hell is he in his best friend's bathroom?! I mean, besides the fact that he just puked his guts into the toilet...

\---

"So, do ya wanna come over or not?"

"H-huh?"

Krillin hadn't been paying close attention to what Goku was asking him. He had been working on cleaning up the living room in Kame House when Goku suddenly decided to drop by for a visit. It wasn't unusual for his best friend to do that to his friends and family, but Krillin had almost fallen onto the slippery wooden floor when Goku teleported in front of him.

For the past 30 minutes or so, they had been catching up on the past couple of weeks. It had been a little while since he last saw the Sayain, so they had been catching up whilst Krillin mopped the floor. Goku did help out too, though there wasn't much of anything left to pick up or clean when he appeared.

"Did ya miss what I said? I'm asking if you wanted to come over tonight and hang out!" Goku said with a cheeky grin.

"Tonight, huh? This is a little too sudden to just ask out of the blue, you know?" Krillin replied irritably.

Goku looked a little flustered. "Y-yeah, I probably should've asked earlier. If you have plans for later, that's fine by me! Just a lil' curious, is all."

Krillin sighed. Goku did have a tendency to interrupt his friends' plans, whether it be for training or for taking down whatever is threatening the Earth that year. Luckily, cleaning the house was Krillin's last plan for the day and it was pretty much done by now.

"Sure, I'm not busy tonight. I'll come over for a while!"

"Great! Would after 8 be good for you?"

After 8? Sure, that would fine for Krillin, but something felt a little off about that time. Whenever the bald man did get invited to his friend's house, usually it was to have dinner with the Son family and maybe stay for an hour afterward before he left.

"Uh, yeah. 8 is perfect for me. I'll probably start coming over by 7:30, then." Krillin answered.

"Alright! I'll be seeing you there! Tell Master Roshi that I said 'Hi!'"

Goku then went out the door and flew into the distance as Krillin watched from the doorway. Sometimes his friend could be a handful to deal with, but that wasn't what was bothering Krillin. What bugged him was the air of tension he felt from Goku as they talked about their plan for the night. The more he thought about their conversation, the more Krillin felt that Goku may be hiding something from him.

Goku normally didn't get flustered, unless Chi-Chi was angry at him for doing something dangerous and getting Gohan involved. To put it lightly, she was especially miffed when the first thing Goku wanted to do, after spending two years training and traveling through space, was to begin training Gohan and himself for three more years.

While it is crucial to prepare for their future foes, the androids, Krillin can understand why Chi-Chi gets frustrated with her husband. He would be too if he was in her shoes! But even so...

"I hope they still get along well, even when he's a handful," Krillin mumbled to no one in particular. As he went back inside and sat on the couch, he began to reminisce about the past. Specifically, he thought back to when he, Goku, and Chi-Chi participated in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. Out of all the things that happened at that time, the one he focused on most was when Chi-Chi had confronted Goku about finally marrying her. They apparently promised to do so after Goku helped her out when they were kids.

As this revelation and the ensuing conversation went on, Krillin had been watching on the sidelines, unable to really say anything. He wanted to object to what Chi-Chi was saying. He felt his own desires and frustrations burning a hole in his chest as he stood behind Goku, but even then he didn't do anything about it. Despite his own feelings on the matter, Krillin didn't want to intentionally break that young woman's heart. Even before they really got to know each other, he still sympathized with her. He didn't feel it was right to just waltz right up and shred up her dreams right in front of her.

"Despite how I felt... I think I knew then it would screw everything up."

If he had said what he wanted to say then... If he had bared his thoughts in front of his close friends...

Krillin didn't want to imagine how they'd respond. But he didn't want to deny that he had feelings for his best friend either.

In the end, he wanted both Goku and Chi-Chi to be happy. Krillin didn't want to put himself first before anyone else, friend or stranger. So he stood by as he watched them get married and started their new family in the mountains. He knew that it would be for the best, anyway. With any luck, maybe Krillin will find someone else to replace the spot he forfeited. He shouldn't have to waste his life wallowing in some dumb regrets, right?

Then Krillin noticed the clock above the television. It read 7:00 p.m.

"Crap, I gotta get ready!"

He quickly went up to his room and traded the clothes he wore for cleaning for a plain white T-Shirt and some worn khaki shorts. After giving his face a quick wash, Krillin then ran out the front door and flew towards the direction of Mount Paozu. While all he expected was two or three hours of hanging out with Goku, the events that did pan out would become a bit more... unpredictable than he once thought.


	2. Chapter 2: The Wham Load Gets Dropped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krillin's starting to figure out the whole predicament he's in. Luckily, he has a few minutes to get everything straightened out. If he isn't careful, however, those precious minutes may very well turn into seconds. Goku is going to get in there to help his best friend sooner or later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out to be WAY longer than I expected it to be. It's not really my favorite chapter up until the end, where we'll finally be lined up with the beginning of this whole thing. I had to revise a good portion of the chapter, since I was originally going to have Goku become much more emotional than he is now. But after I had finished that portion, I realized that it was feeling a bit awkward to just suddenly get emotional when slightly questioned. Now, I've never had a sip of alcohol in my life (and I don't intend to drink much at all when I reach that age), so I'm not sure if that is actually pretty accurate for some people.
> 
> In the end, I wanted to write Goku in a way that would get the reader imagining how he sounded without too many descriptions. Kind of like how you read a comic book or manga character's in one way, then someone dubs it over and does it in another way that also works.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all can enjoy this chapter, even if I'm not too fond of it.

Krillin, through the wooziness and puke, seems to have finally remembered how he physically got into his current situation. Goku had invited him over to his home to hang out for a while. But he still isn’t sure on _why_ he was in the bathroom right then. He knew part of the reason had to do with drinking a little more beer than he should’ve, but it seems like the impact of that decision really wrecked his head. There had to be another part to this predicament, he just knew there was!

“Krillin! Are ya okay in there?! Do ya need any help!?”

Crap. Goku was right outside the bathroom door, trying to get it open. Despite his haste to get to the room, Krillin had enough time to quickly lock the door before he experienced the gross hell that was let loose from him. However, he forgot one crucial detail about his worried friend, that being locks weren’t going to be a good obstacle against a teleporting alien warrior for very long.

“I-I’ll be fine in a minute! I just…I need some water.” Krillin managed to croak out as loud as he could. He hoped that Goku could hear him from behind the thick wooden door. Right now, he needed to get as much of his mind clear as he can. He was still anything but sober, but he tried to keep himself calm and rational for as long as he had to ride this out.

“I-I’ll go grab a glass for ya! I think I even got some medicine around, in case you need some!” Goku hollered as he ran off to grab what he needed.

 _(Good, that'll give me some time.)_ Krillin thought has he tried to get up from the floor. That was easier said than done, as his legs felt like rotten twigs as he pulled himself up from the tile floor. He was able to hold onto the sink for support, but he still felt like he could very easily fall back down if he wasn’t careful.

Even though Goku was already going to get him some, Krillin got a little water from the faucet to at least rinse his mouth out and splash his face to wake himself up. Once he got his face wet, he gazed into the mirror in front of him.

“…I look like ass…” He mumbled to himself. His face was definitely paler than it normally was. His eyes were sore and red, his cheeks were dark and gaunt, and his throat felt both slimy and dry at once. Krillin just looked and felt very sick overall. He could hardly register that there was a reflection in the mirror, let alone recognize it has his own.

“Ugh, how did I even get here…?” That was the main issue he wanted to solve right now. Depending on where Goku went to get medicine, Krillin probably only had a good few minutes to find his answer through his alcohol-raddled brain. If he wasn't careful, they could very well turn into a few _seconds_. He better make them count while he still can…

\- - -

“Hey, Goku! Are you in there?! I’m cooking alive out here!” Krillin called out in front of Goku’s door. He had been standing outside the large cabin, knocking on the door for what felt like an hour. Really, it must have been ten minutes since he got there, but it was still ten minutes too long for Goku to just leave his guest out there. Making it worse was the record summer heat sweeping through Mount Paozu, up to about 95° Fahrenheit. Even if you came prepared with the appropriate clothing and something really cold, it would still more uncomfortable than taking too long in a sauna. Krillin felt like he was sweating his soul out here!

_(I swear if he somehow forgot about this…)_

Before Krillin could finish his thought, the door was quickly thrown open by a strong arm, almost hitting the short man square in the face. Luckily, Krillin was able to dodge the incoming piece of wood, only to have a hand smack his shoulder hard.

“Hey there! Sorry to make you wait, I was trying to hurry up my shower when I heard you.” Goku quickly apologized, his other hand running through his wet hair. He wore a simple white tank top, lightweight pants, and had a damp towel wrapped around his neck.

“Y-you need to get these things done sooner than you think! You took so long, I think I’m the one who needs a shower now!” Krillin proclaimed, the heat exacerbating his annoyance even more. Krillin loved the Sayain, but he can be more than capable of testing the bald fighter’s patience. Goku was taken aback by Krillin’s outburst, then an abashed look swept across his face.

“I’m real sorry about that, Krillin. If ya want, you’re welcome to go use the shower…” Goku replied in a smaller voice than before.

“-sigh- Thanks. Don’t feel bad about it, okay? We all make mistakes sometimes, y’know?” Krillin couldn’t stay mad at Goku for too long. Even he’s done something similar before when people visit earlier than he expected.

“Y-yeah, I guess we all do at some point or ‘nother…” Goku said quietly, glancing to the side.

 _(…Goku’s been acting a little weird lately.)_ Krillin thought to himself. There’s been something about his friend that’s been bugging him lately. Goku doesn’t normally act so shy, especially around his friends or family. Just before Krillin had even said anything to him, his best friend had greeted him with a lot of energy before it just vanished. Did something happen recently? Maybe that’s why he’s acting weird.

As Krillin stepped into the cabin, he noticed that it was quieter than usual. Normally, he would either see Chi-Chi doing some chores around the house or he would hear Gohan run downstairs to greet him. Instead, the house was just very quiet. No clinking of dishes in the sink or footsteps traveling across the floor. It felt uncomfortable, to say the least.

As Krillin went to go take a shower, he looked back at Goku, who had just closed the door behind them.

“Um, Goku? Where are Chi-Chi and Gohan?” Krillin asked the Sayain.

“Oh, u-uh, Chi-Chi took Gohan to go see Ox King for a few days!” Goku replied quickly. Perhaps it was a little too quickly…

“Really?” Krillin asked back, unamused.

“Y-yeah! She wanted to show Gohan the place where she grew up. Plus, I figured Gohan could use a little break from his training and rest up, y’know?”

Krillin just stared back with a bemused look on his face. This was setting off WAY too many bells for his liking. A likely guess would be that Goku and Chi-Chi had gotten into another argument, which was likely about Gohan, and this time she just decided to spend some time away from home.

Then again, she really could’ve just wanted to visit her father and decided to bring Gohan along with her. Goku _could_ be telling the truth, but with how weird he’s been acting and just how quickly he got that answer out, it didn’t seem likely. Hopefully, if there indeed was a spat, things between the couple will be resolved soon…

“…Alright then. I guess I’ll go take that shower, then.” Krillin responded with some hesitance before climbing up the stairs towards the bathroom. Maybe he could get Goku to talk a little more tonight. If his gut was right, then there is definitely more to this story than his friend is letting on.

 _(Unless the intention behind getting me here was to talk about some issue he has, but that doesn’t sound like something Goku would do.)_ The Sayain didn’t have much of a way with words, to begin with. If he wanted to talk about something emotionally important to him, he could easily screw up what he wants to say and make the problem worse on accident. That didn’t bother Krillin too much since he could try and help his friend get out what he needs to say. Bless Chi-Chi’s heart, but she can get easily frustrated when Goku has trouble spitting it out.

 _(That’s probably what happened, if they really did have a fight recently. Although...I can’t really imagine Goku messing up that badly.)_ Krillin thought to himself as he scrubbed the sweat and grime off his body. He was almost done with his shower at this point. It didn’t take too long to take care of his head, with the obvious lack of hair and all. He just needs to finish up his arms and he’s good to go.

Suddenly, he hears Goku’s voice call out from the hallway.

“I made some sandwiches if you’re hungry! I’ve also got some beer out for us if ya want!”

Thinking about it, Krillin had skipped over dinner when he traveled to Mount Paozu. He supposed he could grab something to eat while he was here. He definitely didn’t object to the beer!

“Thanks! I’ll be out in a second!” Krillin yelled back in response. He soon turned off the shower and stepped out. That’s when he noticed a small pile of clothes on the toilet. He hadn’t brought another set with him, so…?

 _(Did Goku set these out for me?)_ He hadn’t heard anybody coming in, but Krillin wouldn’t be surprised if Goku did lay them out. They weren’t really folded, but they were stacked in a way that kept them from slipping off the seat and getting wet. He didn’t even know that there were any clothes his size in the house!

 _(Maybe I left a set here the last time I spent the night…?)_ Whatever the case was, he wasn’t complaining! Soon, he was wearing a solid black T-Shirt and gray track pants. At least they didn’t smell like summer stank.

\- - -

“I just want to say again, I really appreciate you were able to come over!”

“It wasn’t much of a problem, Goku! But you should really try calling next time you invite me over. I mean, there is a phone right behind you.”

The two men snickered about the whole thing as they sipped their Hetap in the living room. They had already emptied a can each and were halfway done with their second. A can of Hetap shouldn’t be enough to get a person really drunk, but Krillin and Goku were definitely in between ‘highly buzzed’ and ‘shouldn’t be flying home at this point’ right now. Goku’s sandwiches are usually considered pretty average, but Krillin always liked them anyway. They still got their jobs done!

“Man, I can’t remember the last time we could just hang out by ourselves!” Goku exclaimed. Krillin was now really starting to feel the alcohol. He thinks that since he’s a pretty short guy, the beer doesn’t take as long to affect him. He should start slowing down, but he’s still got one can to finish.

“Yeah, we usually have Gohan or Oolong with us whenever we go do stuff. Not sayin’ they’re draggin’ us down at all, but I guess it’s nice to not watch over them for a while!” Krillin responded in the same volume.

Goku laughed a bit, then he just sort of…stopped. He was still smiling, but he was now looking down at the floor.

“I kinda miss him, actually. Y’know, I’ve never really gotten used to being alone or away from people.” It wasn’t entirely directed at anyone, but Krillin guessed even the Sayain needed to get things off his chest.

“Being alone after Namek blew up…it almost felt like a nightmare. I hated it…” Goku said softly. Krillin was caught a bit off guard by this statement. He supposed that it was the alcohol making the Sayain talk like this, but the thought didn’t make this feel less awkward.

“Damn, I guess I've never really thought about that before.” Krillin mused. He never did think about what Goku could’ve gone through for those two long years away from home. How long did he have to endure his injuries from Frieza before he got help? Krillin didn’t think he could ever live through what his Sayain friend did.

“Well, you’re probably not alone with, well… feeling alone. Gohan and Chi-Chi really missed you when you were gone. Hell, I even bet they’re wishing you were right beside them now!”

His speech felt a little slurred, but Krillin still tried to comfort his friend as best he could. But instead of seeing Goku lighten up a bit, the man just scrunched up his eyebrows instead.

“I mean, I’m sure Gohan would. I’m just… not sure ‘bout Chi-Chi…”

Krillin watched the Sayain carefully, sipping a bit of his Hetap. This could be what he was looking for.

“Well, why wouldn’t Chi-Chi miss you?”

Goku sat up a little more, putting the beer on the table in front of him. His face was scrunched up into more of a thinking face.

“It’s just…sometimes I think she wants to be away from me for a while, y'know?.” Goku hesitantly answered.

“Well, unless you two had another fight or she was going somewhere like a spa, I can’t imagine why she would feel that way.” Krillin speculated.  
“I mean, she’s just going to visit her dad, right?”

Goku didn’t respond to his friend’s inquiry. He just looked down at nothing in particular as he started sipping from his beer again. The tension in the room felt like Bulma’s gravity chamber when on a high setting, oppressive and uncomfortable. The short fighter felt like he needed to get some air or at least leave the room for a few minutes. He just needed a normal-sounding excuse…

“Uh, hey! How about I go throw away these cans for us?” Krillin offered nervously. Goku just nodded back in response. Krillin soon gathered the empty cans and went to the kitchen. During their conversation, another can had been added to the others. He knew he needed to lay off the Hetap, but he also needed to get his nerves calmed.

He didn’t know why, but Krillin felt like something bad was going to happen. His body felt a little unsound, but he was still able to walk fine enough. Right now, the bald man was worried about his best friend. The uneasy silence and the topics of their chat weren’t normally brought about by someone as bright and cheerful as Goku.

_(Just…calm down! He’ll talk about it if and when he wants to! When he does, just do what a good friend would do and listen.)_

Krillin then slapped his face in an attempt to hype himself up. Instead, he just made himself feel dizzy.

_(…Regrets were made today. Ugh…)_

Keeping himself steady with the wall, Krillin started to walk back towards the living room. But as he got closer, he started to hear something.

“How am I even gonna talk about this? I don’t know what to do, but how do I know he can help?” Goku was talking to himself in the other room. He probably thought he was being quiet, but he was just loud enough for Krillin to hear him.

“If…if I don’t know what to do besides fight, maybe I really am a bad parent for him…” Goku berated himself.

_(…I think he’s finally chosen when.)_

Krillin couldn’t let this chance slip by, but he had to keep calm as he walked in to face his friend. He had to be careful, despite being hella drunk.

“Goku?”

Unsurprisingly, Goku was startled by Krillin just suddenly appearing in front of him.

“Ah! U-uh, what’s up, Krillin?” Goku tried to play it off like he was fine, though the stress in his voice gave him away.

“Goku, just calm down a second. I want to talk to you about something.” There was total seriousness in his voice as Krillin went to sit beside his friend.

“…What about?” The Sayain asked cautiously.

“I think that something happened before I got here and maybe it’s why you’re acting so weird.”

Goku stared straight ahead at his friend. He had quickly dropped the fake smile he just had on and wore a more plain expression. Unlike when he invited his friend in, Goku looked more tired than he had a couple of hours before. How he hadn’t noticed this before, Krillin will never know. All he could do now was sit in front of the fighter and be the friend he needs to be.

“I just want to say right now that you can always talk to me, or Yamcha, or any one of our friends if you need to. You don’t have to keep everything to yourself…”

Goku stared back at his friend. His defenses were beginning to drop a bit, but Krillin had to be careful about how to go about this. One wrong move and this whole conversation can be shut down in an instant. Easy to do if you had a little over two cans of beer in you. Luckily, he found what he wanted to say.

“I don’t like seeing the people I care for getting hurt in any way. You're no exception. You can tell me if something bad’s happened.” Krillin was careful to keep his voice clear, though he was starting to feel something crawl through his stomach.

Goku’s expression began to soften as his body posture, which had been rigid and stiff, slowly slacked a little. The flush on his face began to become more and more visible. He looked like he was having trouble finding what to say.

“I…I really screwed up this time, Krillin. It was really bad.” Goku was concise with his words.

“I should’ve said somethin’ earlier, but I guess you saw right through me.” He chuckled softly. Krillin’s gut feeling was going nuts at this point. He didn’t care that it made him feel sick, he needed focus on this moment!

“Goku, what the hell happened?” Krillin felt he could start talking a bit more casually.

“Chi-Chi and I…we had another argument. It was ‘bout Gohan’s training. I-I suggested maybe taking him into the gravity chamber and gettin’ him used to different gravity. I think that was it for her, ‘cause Chi-Chi got real mad after I said that. Then she…uh…”

So they did have another argument. That most likely explains why Chi-Chi really left in the first place. The topic of the fight also explains why she brought Gohan with her. There have been some bad spats in the past, but none that have resulted in this.

But it doesn’t look like this is the end of the problem. Goku looks like he wants to say something else. He looks like he’s stuck in the sort of stammer loop you get in when your brain is going faster than you can talk or think.

“Th-then what…?” Krillin asked apprehensively. He didn’t like where this could be going.

Eventually, Goku just sighed loudly, then looked straight towards Krillin. The weary expression he had was beginning to break down Krillin’s own calm demeanor.

Then it came out blunt like a punch to the face.

“Chi-Chi and I are getting a divorce.”

\- - -

It took Krillin a moment to fully comprehend what he just heard.

“You’re getting a divorce…?” He asked in a small voice. The impact of that statement hit him like a truck. Krillin had done a complete 180 from being carefully assertive to complete silence. His mind was beginning to rush…

“She…She doesn’t want Gohan to get hurt when he’s with me. She said that I’m too careless with him…and that I’m going to get him killed someday.” Goku just looked at his lap as he unloaded what was happening. His voice, though calm, was full of guilt and dejection. The more he revealed, the harder the impact was for both men.

Krillin was having trouble hearing him anymore. He couldn’t control his thoughts as they consumed more and more of his focus. Did the choice he made all those years ago mean nothing? If it was going to turn out like this, why didn’t he just take Goku when he had the chance? Was his choice to abstain pointless all along? Did he spend all those nights alone, all those weeks dating a blue-haired ditz, for this?! What was the point of letting them get together if-

“K-Krillin? Are you okay?” Goku asked the short man.

“I..”

That was a definite no there. Krillin’s complexion was pale and sweaty as his fist shakily clenched his abdomen. Those beers finally came back to bite him in the ass.

“I need a bathroom. **NOW**.”

The rest was just a blur as Krillin, with Goku helping him, rushed upstairs to the bathroom. Once they got there, Krillin quickly locked the door behind him, kneeled in front of the toilet, and braced himself for the gross hell that would soon be unleashed from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned last chapter that one of the ways I would prefer a fictional couple to be broken up would be with a civilized divorce. Now, if you've watched Dragon Ball Z, you would know that things can get a little crazy when Chi-Chi gets angry (e.g. Exhibiting Kaioken aura and having to be held back when insulted by Maron.)
> 
> While her and Goku's offscreen fight may have been uncivil, it's going to get a bit better after that. Question is, will she call off the divorce? Or will Chi-Chi and Goku instead negotiate the amount of time Gohan lives with them each month? (In my opinion, it'd be a one week pattern between the two parents. Gohan is with mom for one week, then he goes to dad for another.)
> 
> Next chapter will deal with Krillin being the one who starts to open up to Goku, which may or may not involve revealing certain facts about him. Either way, the dude isn't going to remember what he said the previous night.  
> It'll be an awkward morning for him. (Relax, I'm not going to make them do what a lot of other stories make drunk people do.)
> 
> BTW, puking may or may not be referred to as gross hell, depending on whether if it'll sound funny in certain sections.


	3. Chapter 3: Hell Only Breaks Loose In A Bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Krillin has finally gotten everything in his straightened out, though he's still relatively drunk and teetering between almost lucid and blacking out. Then Goku decides to do what Goku does best, which kind of damages a few things, to put it simply.  
> If you want the context in full, then keep on reading and find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I had planned for chapter 3 to be the absolute final one, but the full thing turned out to be longer than the first two chapters combined. In the end, I decided to cut the chapter in half and post the first part of it. I'm still ironing out the last part as much as I can.  
> Either way, hope you enjoy this chapter! It'll be about the last one that has emotional moments take center stage. The next chapter will still have some emotional impact (as well as I can make it, anyway), but there will be some more humor injected into the earlier parts.

_(Alright, I think I’ve finally got everything straightened out…I still feel like ass, but I guess it’s something…)_

Krillin leaned against the marble white sink as he pinched where the bridge of his nose should be. His legs still felt pretty wobbly, but he felt like he could relax his stance a little bit now. He had been dealing with a headache after he had vomited, but it seems to have slowly faded out as time passed. Krillin still had to be careful with how he moved, though. One wrong step and-

“GOKU TO THE RESCUUUUEEEE!!!!!”

_(What-)_

Suddenly, the door that Krillin had locked earlier was instantly obliterated in front of him.

“AAAGH!!”

Instinctively, Krillin moved his body to get into a fighting stance. Outstandingly bad move when your lower half is unstable like Krillin’s. Instead of doing what his brain told him to do, the short fighter instead tripped over himself and fell backward. As he fell, Krillin’s grip on the sink corner tightened too much and crushed that section of it. Just before he reached the floor, he felt something scratch his cheek, though that was merely the garnish to the everything else he felt on the way down..

Luckily, there was a small stack of towels between the sink and toilet that cushioned his head. It was still a pretty bad impact, but it definitely could’ve been way worse if Krillin had hit his head on the hard, tiled floor without the fluffy white pile.

“Krillin!”

Goku cried out as he quickly ran over to his fallen friend. Krillin could barely concentrate on what was happening around him. Every part of his torso and head hurt like hell, but he could feel a sharper pain at his left wrist. For some reason, it hurt even worse than anything else he felt. Even his left hand, which itself had destroyed part of the cast-iron white sink, didn’t hurt much at all! As he began to rise from the floor, he felt something grabbing his shoulder and back midway through.

“Easy, easy! Ya can’t be moving that fast if you’ve hit your head!”

Goku eased Krillin off the floor and helped him sit upright. Then he moved his friend to the wall next to the toilet and propped him up there. Krillin’s head was pounding and he could barely register anything that was happening. He could see that the door was now a pile of woodchips and bits of metal on the floor. Guess Goku took the more strength-driven route instead of Instant Transmission. Suddenly, Krillin felt a sharper pain as his friend began to hold his wrist up.

“O-ow…!” He weakly protested, but Goku ignored him as he carefully examined the wound.

“Shit, this is bad…” Goku cursed under his breath. It was a pretty bad sign if Goku of all people was the one who started cursing.

Krillin looked to where Goku’s eyes were pointed, only to see the aforementioned left wrist covered in blood. It must’ve gotten cut when he broke the sink, though amazingly enough, the hand attached to the joint was perfectly fine. In the center of it all was a deep, dark red cut that stretched clean across the entire side of the wrist. No bone was visible, thankfully, but it was still bleeding profusely.

“Krillin, can you keep your arm up by yourself?” Goku asked with utmost seriousness. It was hard to believe that the Sayain had drunk anything at all tonight, let alone two cans of beer.

Krillin slowly nodded as to not aggravate the newly-revived headache he just received. It didn’t seem to really matter much, it still made him feel even dizzier. Goku’s expression became more determined in response.

“Okay, good. I’m gonna be real quick ‘bout this, so don’t worry!”

Goku soon let go of the injured wrist as he quickly moved over to the bathroom mirror. There, he pressed the bottom of both sides of the mirror, opening up to a small compartment. Krillin hadn't even noticed that it could be opened up in the first place. Once it was opened, Goku soon found what he was looking for.

“Here they are!”

After a few seconds of running water, Goku came back as quickly as he left and sat back down in front of his friend. He now had with him a clear-plastic first aid kit, a wettened washcloth, and a tube of antibiotic ointment sitting right next to him. The Sayain then opened up the box and pulled from it a spool of surgical thread, white bandages, and a thin needle.

First, Goku took the wet washcloth and began to carefully clean up the blood around the cut. After that, the Sayain had his friend keep the cloth on the wound as he prepared the needle for stitching.

Once he was done, Goku looked back at his friend. As he began to reach out for the injured wrist, Krillin instinctively pulled it back towards himself. He may be very, _very_ drunk, but that didn’t mean he instantly trusted the Sayain to stitch any part of him up. Goku looked a little offended by that, but he wasn't going to give up yet.

“I know what you’re thinkin’, but I can tell ya that I know what I’m doin’ here. Chi-Chi taught me how to fix up cuts like this whenever I went too far with my own training.”

Krillin still kept his wrist close to his torso, showing no signs of moving it forward. Goku sighed and put his hand on the short man’s shoulder, gently gripping it.

“I trusted you when ya wanted to help me out, so could ya trust me as well? I’m gonna make it as quick and clean as I can, but I need ya to give me your wrist. I don’t want anythin’ bad to happen if it doesn’t heal properly” Goku calmly pleaded with his friend. Krillin, with much hesitation, eventually brought his injury forward. Goku smiled as he carefully held the injured joint.

“I don’t have much to numb the thing, but try to keep still for me, okay?”

“A-alright, alright! Just be careful.” Krillin managed to say, though the words came out raspy and tired.

Goku nodded back as he got to work fixing the cut. It stung badly as the clean needle pierced the skin to suture each side, but it wouldn’t be long before it was all over with. Surprisingly, Goku was right when he said he’d make it quick and clean. The needle never hit anything inside the cut as it pulled the thread through each hole, though the piercing alone did make Krillin’s eyes water.

After he pulled each side of the cut together, Goku took out a small pair of scissors from the kit, cut the thread, and tied a small knot right at the end of the last hole. He then put a little bit of ointment on his finger and smeared it gently onto the sutured cut. Finally, he bandaged a few firm layers over the stitch and tied another knot to keep the white cloth in place.

“Okay, that about does it.” Goku sighed in relief. He then turned towards Krillin, who quickly rubbed any visible tears away. He hated crying in front of anybody, even if they were his best friend/crush.

“Is your head okay?” Asked the Sayain, concern still staining his tone.

“Uh, y-yeah. It landed on those towels, so…it’s- huh?” Before Krillin could say any more, Goku placed a hand on the side of his jaw and slowly turned his friend’s head to the left.

On Krillin’s right cheek, just below his eye, laid another cut. Luckily, this one was neither deep nor large. It was about the size of a pinky fingernail with a crescent shape, almost looking like a red teardrop. How on Earth did that get there? Krillin remembered something hitting him there when he fell but did that mean something else had broken as well? Thinking about it, he supposed that the toilet’s trip level could be sharp enough…

Either way, as soon as the cut was spotted, it was then covered with a tiny band-aid, a little dot of ointment placed on the cloth part.

“Okay, that about does it. I think you should wait until tomorrow before goin’ home. We probably had too much Hetap tonight, so I don’t think I should try gettin’ ya to Kame House myself. I can go get out the futon from downstairs for you.” Goku explained.

Krillin was staring at his now bandaged wrist, though this time he could hear his friend’s offer. There were a lot of things that could’ve happened today, but the bald man never thought this whole fiasco would be one of them. He wanted to say anything to his friend, a thank you or whatever, but he felt like something else was keeping him down.

“Krillin, are ya feelin’ sick again? You still look pretty bad…” Goku held a hand to Krillin’s forehead.

Krillin blushed a little at the contact but was more concerned with other thoughts to focus on that. Thoughts about what was going to happen after tonight. If Goku and Chi-Chi did get a divorce after this, how was this going to affect the future? Would Gohan losing any time or the chance to train affect the outcome of the Z-Fighters’ encroaching battle? But more importantly to Krillin, what could happen between him and Goku? Whether or not the divorce went through, would they still be friends if Krillin told him how he really felt?

In between all the 'what ifs', the fighter felt like he was going to be knocked out any second now, whether it was from the alcohol or the fall. He couldn’t stop himself from shivering again, even though the room was fairly warm.

Eventually, Goku began to get up from the floor. Before he was, he stretched a hand out towards Krillin.

“Here, I’ll help ya get settled. After all of this, I wouldn’t blame ya if you just slept like a rock tonight!” Goku chuckled lightly, trying to cheer his friend up in any way he could.

Krillin took the hand with his other good one and tried to get up as carefully as he could. Goku still helped to support him with his other hand as his short friend stood up.

“Take it slowly, now. I can help ya down the stairs if-”

Before Goku could finish his piece, Krillin quickly wrapped his friend into a hug. It wasn’t a tight squeeze, but it felt like he was clinging to the Sayain for dear life. Either way, it was now Goku’s turn to be caught off guard.

“W-Woah! What’s wrong, Krillin?” Goku managed to steady themselves so that there wasn’t another disaster of a fall. Krillin just buried his face into his friend’s shirt, trembling all the while.

“This…This isn’t what was supposed to happen…”

“H-Huh? What do you mean?”

Krillin kept his face where it was.

“N-none of this sh-should’ve happened. I d-didn't want any of this to happen...!”

Goku put both hands onto his friend shoulders as he tried to keep themselves from tumbling over. He was starting to get more and more concerned with the strange ramblings Krillin kept saying…

“Hey, get a hold of yourself! I don’t understand what you're sayin’. Did somethin’ happen to you too?” Goku tried to get a clearer answer from his friend. Soon, Krillin loosened his grasp on the Sayain’s abdomen but still kept himself close to his friend.

“I… What I’m trying to say is…!”

But before anything could happen, everything around Krillin turned to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone was curious about any kind of inspirations I had for certain parts of these chapters and future ones, I can list a couple things right off the bat:  
> 1) The Ace Attorney series (More specifically, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō from The Great Ace Attorney for some of his mannerisms like the face slapping and pursuing the truth)  
> 2) Sam O'Nella Academy (It'll be slightly more noticeable in the next chapter than here. Mainly used for humor inspiration)
> 
> Anyway, I hope I'm doing an okay job writing this story. I'm a bit more used to doing reports and essays for school that I'm trying to keep this from feeling like one of those. I can do a decent job at writing academic papers, but they're a little more lifeless than the wacky world of fanfiction.
> 
> Edit: Had to fix an unfinished sentence. Everything should be fine now
> 
> BTW, at this point I'd put this story under a sort of minor AU, where nothing much has changed but some characters here act a little differently than the originals.


	4. Chapter 4: Never Gonna Give Us Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all comes to an end...though not as badly as Krillin once thought.
> 
> (No, 'us' does not mean romantic relationship. It can mean anything with two or more people involved.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally done! I hope this was a fun ride for everyone, because I'm taking a nice break after this! I may publish more in the future, but I just wanted this out and done as soon as possible. I hope you've enjoyed what I've concocted over the past few weeks. I've always found a special charm with this ship, but I usually prefer for it to happen way earlier, before Z in general. Not with the characters as kids, but during the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament. It's prime game for what if scenarios since each one can drastically alter the entire DBZ timeline in their own way. Little kids getting together is just gross and very, VERY not cool >:c
> 
> Anyways, have fun with this last chapter! I hope I did well with it!

_(Wait, what the actual hell?)_

One moment, Krillin was about to say something important and the next he’s…in a bed? What happened to the futon? Actually, forget the futon for a moment, was he in Goku’s bed?! Krillin immediately sat up and looked around, but found himself alone in the small bedroom. Looking out the window, it was obvious from the big ball of gas above him that it wasn’t nighttime anymore. He looked beside himself and found a digital alarm clock on top of a nightstand, reading 9:14 a.m. Next to it sat a small cup of water and a couple of ibuprofen tablets.

 _(I guess those are for me as well, huh?)_ Krillin hummed, reminded of the clothes laid out for him.

He soon downed the tablets with the water. Even after several hours of sleep, the headache was still pounding like crazy. Luckily, it began to die down shortly after taking the medicine. Still, Krillin groaned and held his head in his hands.

_(Crap…Why can’t I remember what happened?! I know I must’ve done something, but I’ve got no clue what it even was!)_

After a few minutes of drawing up blanks, Krillin just decided that he’ll worry about it when the time comes. For now, he needed to get himself cleaned up before he left. He could probably wait on the shower until he got home, but he at least wanted to get his face washed before he did anything else.

As soon as he opened the door to walk out, there came Goku from the very location the short man was heading towards. As soon as they made eye contact, there was an air of tension around them. It made Krillin feel more uneasy than last night’s conga line of pain.

“K-Krillin! You’re up!” Goku seemed shocked to see his friend awake already. He probably expected the short man to sleep in, given what a night it had been.  
“Are you…are you feelin’ okay?” He inquired nervously.

“Ugh, I still have this headache, but those tablets are helping a little. Thanks.”

“No problem. Just, uh, make sure you’re careful when ya walk around. I don’t want those stitches gettin’ broken.” Goku warned.

It was a fairly normal conversation, but everything still felt off between the two men. It felt more bizarre than even the afternoon before when the whole night was kickstarted by the Sayain’s simple invitation.

“Oh, I have some leftover sandwiches from last night in case you’re hungry. It’s pretty much the only thing I have made.” Goku offered, shifting his gaze away from his friend. The Sayain seemed to be really uncomfortable, but Krillin couldn’t think of anything that would bug him like that. I mean, besides his strained relationship with Chi-Chi.

“Uh, thanks! I’ll be down there in a minute, I just need to do something real quick.”

“Alright, just watch the edge of the sink,” Goku warned before quickly exiting towards the kitchen. Krillin headed into the bathroom and finally saw the full extent of the damages. The corner he had broken off the sink was huge and lightly stained with drops of red. Luckily, it wasn’t big enough to let any running water spill out, but it looked pretty sharp. Krillin made sure to keep his hand off that part as he began to wash up.

Once he rinsed off whatever soap he used to clean himself, Krillin grabbed a nearby towel to dry off. Looking up from the towel, he once again looked into the mirror in front of him. He looked a little less tired, but he now had a small bandaid plastered just below his eye. There didn’t seem to be any other bruises. Just like the mirror, Krillin began to reflect on what could’ve happened before he woke up.

_(I think I did say something, that’s for sure. But I’m not sure if I did anything else after that…)_

Krillin leaned against the wall just next to the sink and began to do some more critical thinking. He didn’t want to destroy the sink again if he got interrupted.

_(The way Goku looked when we talked…it was like he felt too embarrassed to be around me. But what could’ve happened that would cause him to-)_

Then a thought hit Krillin. He instantly froze when it came to him.

_(I-I didn’t do what I’m thinking I did, right?)_

Goku normally wasn’t one who felt embarrassment often, despite some of the things he has done over the years. If he was acting weird around his friend after a night of drinking, then…[uh oh](https://youtu.be/aOgBWl_kHYY?t=227).

_(Uh oh. UH OH. **UH OH.** )_

Krillin felt his heart plummet through his innards and ascend to the ethereal realm. He didn’t do that, right? He has to be overreacting about something small, right? **RIGHT?!** Because…

 _(If I really did k-kiss-)_ Krillin’s thought was suddenly interrupted by Goku’s voice shouting through the wall. Thankfully, there was no suddenly exploding doors this time, since the bathroom didn’t have one anymore. Instead, the Sayain sounded like he was still downstairs.

“Hey, Krillin! You didn’t fall down again, didja?!” Goku called out.

“I-I’m fine! I’ll be down in a second! Don’t worry!” Krillin yelled back. Before he left the room, he decided to give himself another rousing face slap. It wouldn’t help much with keeping him awake now, but he needed something to psyche himself up for what could happen next.

He finally rushed out of the bathroom and headed down the stairs. Turning the corner, he came into the kitchen to see Goku sitting at the table. He was turned back to him, but the Sayain quickly turned his head to see his friend.

“Mornin’. I got the sandwiches next to the sink over there.” Goku pointed to a plate sitting near the metal basin on the left. There were only two sandwiches left, but Krillin felt that would be enough for breakfast. He grabbed the plate and sat down in front of his friend.

They just sat there in silence as they both ate their food. The uncomfortable tension from before was back and neither fighter kept eye contact for too long. But eventually, someone would have to break the unnerving silence sooner or later.

“Listen, about last night…” Krillin started.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say thanks for, uh, helping me out back there.”

Goku looked back at his friend with a cheerful expression.

“Hey, it’s no problem at all. I mean, why wouldn’t I help my friends out when they’ve gotten hurt?” Goku smiled before glancing down at the table. “I also wanted to thank ya for just being here. Even though ya got sick afterward, I was just glad to finally talk to someone about what happened ‘tween me and Chi-Chi…”

Krillin was glad he could help his friend, but he was still on edge about what happened after that talk. He was scared to ask, but he needed to get it off his chest soon. Krillin opened his mouth to speak, but Goku beat him to the punch.

“Um, before anythin’ else, can we talk about what happened last night? The whole thing’s still buggin’ me, ‘specially after I fixed up your wrist.”

Krillin froze at the mere mention of that moment. That whole experience was foggy at best and he still couldn’t remember what happened before he woke up. All he knew was that he was about to say something, but anything after that came up a complete blank.

“Y-yeah, I was gonna say the same. The thing is, um…”

Krillin took in a deep breath and exhaled. He’s just gonna have to put his fears on the sideline and deal with this issue head-on. He can worry about the results afterward. Goku was giving him his full attention, he’d better not waste any more time.

“Goku, the thing about last night is that I, uh… _can’t_ really remember what happened last night,” Krillin shakily confessed. Goku’s expression turned to complete surprise when he heard that.

“Wait, ya don’t remember anything? Nothin’ at all?” The tone spoke for itself. Krillin must have done _something_ that bothered or disturbed the Sayain enough to confront him about it. Krillin’s composure was beginning to falter.

“Uh, yeah. See, sometimes when you drink too much, there’s this bit of time where you can’t remember anything. Because of that, I was hoping you could, um, fill me in about what happened before I woke up…?” Krillin’s palms were getting sweaty. He knows that this is going to open a Pandora's box of sheer regret, but he had to keep pressing forward! He at least needed to know whether or not he screwed up, to put it simply.

If his eyes weren’t tricking him, Krillin could see a flush appear on Goku’s face as the man put his hand behind his neck. He fidgeted anxiously in his seat before he said anything else.

“A-are ya sure ya wanna know?”

Krillin’s determined expression alone gave away what his answer was.

“Um, okay…so you got hurt when ya tripped and fell after I, uh, kicked down the door. My hands were holdin’ the stuff I put on the nightstand, y’see? Anyway, you took part of the sink with ya and got your wrist cut ‘cause of that-” Goku noticed his friend motioning him to get on with it. He quickly knew what to do.

“Uh, after I stitched up your cut and stuff, I helped ya off the floor. Then out of nowhere, you just started hugging me. We almost fell down ‘cause of that!” A hint of annoyance stained Goku’s tone as he recounted that part.

“Then ya started sayin’ some weird stuff after that. Stuff like ‘this wasn’t supposed to happen’ or whatever. You were really worryin’ me and I tried to get you to calm down.” If Krillin had to guess, his drunken word salads must’ve been about his friend’s divorce. That revelation did make him feel like any choice he could’ve made would’ve been rendered moot, so it wouldn’t be a surprise that he felt frustrated, to put it very lightly.

“Then you just…uh…” Goku faltered at the end there, hesitating to say anything else. There was a lot of stuttering and stammering after that, so perhaps he was struggling to find the right words? Whatever the case, Krillin wasn’t going to slow down for anyone.

“Goku, don’t be afraid to tell me. If I did something really weird or whatever, then I want to know in case I-” But before he could finish, the Sayain cut him off.

“Ya already did the weirdest part, Krillin. I’m just worried about embarrassin’ ya since you don’t like doin’ what ya did last night.”

_(What I don’t like doing? The hell’s he mean by that?)_

Goku soon answered that thought for him.

“You, um, cried last night. Ya looked like you were goin’ to say more, but you just held onto me and cried for a good while…  
“I wasn’t sure what to do since I’d never really seen you or anyone like that before. I decided to just let ya get it all out of your system until ya sort of fell asleep standing up. After that, I just let you use my bed and I slept on the couch.  
“And that’s ‘bout what happened last night.”

Krillin just sat there, dazed as all hell. It wasn’t what he was expecting, but maybe that’s for the best. He couldn’t possibly think there was anything else to talk about-

“Um, I still have one more question for ya, Krillin…”

**S̶̮̱͌̈́̾̓̏͆̋̒͂̕͝͝H̶͇̗͚͉͇̞̝̾̓̇̑́͛͘͠͝I̴̢̪̙̣͖̼̠̓͐̄̅͒͆̅͐̐͒T̵̨̬̯̥͔̮̳̔̃͌͗.**

“Is that okay?”

Welp, he’s dead now. Krillin knows what Goku’s question is going to be and it is going to be what finally kills him. If it didn’t, it would certainly forever erase their decades-long bond in an instant. The bald man may as well off himself now, lest he be faced with the wrath of his soon-to-be ex-best friend.

Okay, that’s not what he was going to do at all. That would be a silly way to end this story. It is, however, an accurate description of how Krillin felt at that very moment. But he had to saddle up and face the music. Reality can be a harsh mistress, but he can’t avoid it forever. He soon snapped out of that rubbish mentality to face his fate with dignity.

“Um, what question would that be?” Krillin asked, hesitation still trying to hold him back.

“Why were you talkin’ about all that stuff you mentioned? It really worried me to see you like that last night…”

Krillin stalled a little bit with an answer. He had to spit it out, but he had to find the right words to describe it. Before he could begin to explain himself, Goku had scooted closer to his friend and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t like yesterday where it was full of energy and excitement. This felt very solid…but in a good way. It was supporting and concerned.

“I want you to talk to me like I did with you last night. Be honest with me, please.” Goku pleaded to his childhood friend.

He was wracked with anxiety and guilt before, but now Krillin felt like he was just given a surge of confidence. It wouldn’t end up being too surprising if Goku just suddenly revealed: “ _Oh yeah, I got literal feelin’-transfer powers back in space!”_ , but something about the Sayain just made Krillin feel more comfortable with opening up. Maybe it was this bottled up crush making him feel this way.

Either way, Krillin took another deep breath, exhaled, and put his mouth on auto-pilot for those four words.

“I love you, Goku.” He put it as bluntly and clearly he could.

He braced himself for the ensuing chaos he’s been dreading for years. Instead, Goku just looked puzzled by that confession.

“Uh, okay? I love ya too, Krillin, but that didn’t really answer-”

Nuh-uh, there was going to be no confusion in this. Krillin was going to make absolutely sure the Sayain understood what that confession _really_ meant.

“Okay, you know the way that you love and cherish Chi-Chi?”

“Yeah…?”

“ _THAT’S_ what I meant when I said I love you.”

It took the Sayain a couple of seconds to finally understand what his best friend just told him.

“oh-OH. _OH!_ I understand now!” Goku exclaimed cheerfully, showing no sign of any anger, resentment, or any other emotion Krillin thought he would experience first-hand.

But with understanding the context, another pressing question popped into Goku’s head.

“Wait, you began crying and talking about decisions n’ stuff because you love me? Why?” Goku pressed his friend for more details. Krillin was still flabbergasted from the Sayain’s unexpected reaction, but he composed himself enough to explain the new question as best he could.

“Okay, this isn’t going to be easy… So, you know back in at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Chi-Chi talked with you about finally marrying her?”

Goku nodded.

“Well just before she arrived, I planned to tell you once we had some time by ourselves. I wasn’t hoping for what you’re thinking to happen, but I just wanted to get it out soon… “But before I could even do anything, Chi-Chi just suddenly appears and then drops that brick of information on all of us. I felt angry and frustrated that the chance I needed was just taken by this random teenager. I wanted to do anything to stop her, but…” Krillin paused, mostly to catch his breath.

“I didn’t feel that it was okay to do that to her. Even if I didn’t know her, I could see that she really felt the same way I did about you. I didn’t want to crush her hopes in front of her when she took the time and effort to find you.  
“But…I guess more than anything, I was more afraid of letting you and everyone see me as some kind of disgusting freak. I was always afraid of losing my friends over something so personal to me and I thought you would be like that too…”

This information blew Goku’s mind and broke his heart at the same time. Krillin had been keeping this a secret for so long because he felt he would ‘ruin everything?’ He felt less betrayed and more saddened that his best friend felt like he had to hide this away so they could still be friends today. If this is what caused Krillin to get so sick and injured last night…

“Krillin…nobody's gonna treat ya like that just because you loved me like that! You showed me last night that we could tell each other if anything was bothering us, like with me! Ya could've still told me if it really bugged ya!” Goku was letting more and more emotion into his voice. It began to quiver as he realized more of what Krillin’s choice meant.

“Did you really think I would actually leave you like that…?” Sadness rang through the Sayain’s voice loud and clear. That alone made Krillin feel awful for not saying anything sooner. It wasn't that he didn't want to, mind you, it's just…

“W-Well back when we were younger, having this kind of feeling for another guy was barely allowed, let alone encouraged! Almost everyone I knew, before and after I met you, all treated stuff like this with the same respect they'd have for a bug. I'd thought that you, Yamcha, Bulma, or all of our other friends had that same mindset like everyone else...  
“But I wasn’t just afraid of being rejected by my friends, I…” Krillin gulped as he divulged possibly the biggest underlying fear of this confession.

“I was afraid of losing the only family I ever had. I didn't want to be left alone again like I was at Orin Temple.” It was barely above a whisper, but that sentence felt like it rang throughout the trees of the mountain.

Silence filled the air between and around the two fighters. It took a bit for Krillin to realize that he hadn’t just confessed to his best friend. He had divulged the greatest fear that he’d been holding as true for over ten years. He didn’t know what more he could possibly say at this point. Right now, he felt like he wanted to get away from this cabin and hole himself up somewhere else.

But before he could even make a move to leave, two strong arms wrapped themselves around the short man, putting Krillin into a strong vice-grip.

“G-Goku?”

The Sayain didn’t respond to his name. He just kept doing the only thing he felt he could do at this moment. Krillin just sat there, no words coming from his agape mouth.

“Don’t _ever_ think that we’d do that to you. You’re… **so** much more than just family to us.  
“I don’t know what I would even do if you weren't here yesterday or before that.”

Krillin didn’t know what he even could say to that. How many years did it take just to get a simple answer? How many did he spend dreading how badly things could’ve been? The fighter instantly forgot that stretch of time as he slowly gave into the tight squeeze around him. Even though he had always expected to stay friends as usual, he felt much better about this outcome than he thought he would. At least mentally, because emotion-wise? _HOO-BOY_.

“D-Damn it…I think I’m gonna cry again…!”

“Hey, that’s okay.”

For the next few minutes, nothing else happened as Krillin once again began to shake in his friend’s arms. As much as he disliked it, he just needed a good cry for a little while. Goku certainly wouldn’t dare stop his best friend for anything until it was all over. The past twelve hours between the two men were comparable to a rollercoaster on the verge of an accident, just barely managing to stay on the rails in the end. It was bumpy, uncomfortable, and **_absolutely HORRIFYING_** for a while, but if they survived that whole mess, they would probably be fine in the long run.

Though the future remains uncertain for both fighters, one thing was made perfectly clear today.

Even if his feelings weren’t ever returned, nothing was ever going to derail the hardened bond Krillin and Goku shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If ya'll want an idea of what that Uh Oh part sounded like, here's the exact clip I based it on (https://youtu.be/aOgBWl_kHYY?t=227)
> 
> Again, I may write and publish some more when the time comes. However, I would prefer to keep things as PG-13 as I can. I'm not all that comfortable with writing sexy stuff at all. Maybe in another lifetime, I would've been cool with it, but not now.  
> Whether you want to see Krillin hook up with Goku after this story or have him date someone else, that's really all up to me in the end. Heck, I could do a compilation sort of deal, where I explore each potential love interest I can think up for the dude (except Maron, she kinda sucks).

**Author's Note:**

> For the record, I never enjoyed stories that either made the spouse of a character into a total hate sink or forced them to die in order for their respective spouse to then hook up with another person. I feel that if a fictional couple had to be split up, either they have a civil divorce, one of their deaths have more plot significance than just to seperate them from each other, or find an interesting way to rework past events so that they potentially didn't marry to begin with.
> 
> Even though she could be very annoying, I could understand why Chi-Chi got so angry when Gohan was put into life-threatening situations like with Namek or Perfect Cell. Any mother would be furious if someone they loved and trusted was putting their child through situations that they felt weren't appropriate for the kid to deal with (fighting in a tournament that would determine the fate of the planet, for example.)
> 
> Even so, I don't want to portray Chi-Chi as just an annoying obstacle that blocks the protagonists' way forward, but as a woman who cares for her family. In this story, while the implication of how their relationship is going doesn't look good, I believe that she would still love her husband after all is said and done, but certain traits and circumstances led her to make her own decision.  
> At the same time, I want this Goku to also care for his wife and son more than as just 'the really good friends he lives with every day,' but he has some small issues when it comes to expressing those feelings clearly to them both, Chi-Chi most of all.
> 
> Nobody has to be the ass-hat in the relationship. Sometimes, people drift apart and they don't have the same kind  
> of connection that was there five years ago. They can still care for one another, but they're feelings for each other have changed.


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